The Walking Dead season 7 returns on 23 October on AMC.

Negan's kill list is expected to increase when The Walking Dead season 7 premieresGene Page/AMC

So the question "who did Negan kill?" – in the season 6 finale – seems to be really playing on the minds of The Walking Dead fans as they continue to probe the cliffhanger ending. And now, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays the notorious Savior leader Negan in the AMC zombie thriller, has warned fans not to ask about the victim's identity – whose skull was smashed in the epic episode.

While answering fan queries during the Minncon 2016 convention, the actor said that after watching the premiere episode, fans will wish that it never happened. "I can't stress enough that if you were one of those people who were like, 'Oh, f*****g cliffhanger...' You're gonna be really, really wishing that the cliffhanger had never ended after the first episode back," Morgan told the crowd. "So, be careful what you wish for," he added.

In a separate interview with Deadline, the show's executive producer Greg Nicotero revealed that the lives of fan-favourite characters will only turn worse at the beginning of season 7. "I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better for our group, and it's pretty intense. I mean, the show, we're sort of opening a new chapter," he told the website.

Speaking about the future of Rick Grimes, the leader of the Alexandria safe zone, the producer said that the show will focus on both Rick and Negan. "Rick has never felt fear, and you never see him scared in the entire series until that episode [season 6 finale], Nicotero said while explaining the future of Andrew Lincoln's character.

"Rick is, now if you really think about his journey in the comic books, he shares the spotlight with Negan in the comic book. Negan now has some ownership over what the show is about. It's the anticipation and the excitement of new worlds that we're going to, like the Hilltop, like the Kingdom, like the Sanctuary where Negan lives," Nicotero explained.